


Marks of Devotion

by strangr_kid



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), The Isle of the Lost Series - Melissa de la Cruz
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Gen, Soulmarks exist but not on the isle, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28633071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangr_kid/pseuds/strangr_kid
Summary: Soulmarks were blocked by the barrier surrounding the Isle, so they made do.-the rotten four give each other tattoos
Relationships: Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil
Comments: 2
Kudos: 54





	Marks of Devotion

Soulmarks were blocked by the barrier surrounding the Isle. All the children born on the Isle had a distinct lack of a marking tying them to their true love. So they made do. Tattoos done with falling apart machines and needles tipped with pen ink became marks of devotion. The kids will say it’s to show whose bedside you’ll be on if you hurt one of their compatriots, but there was a silent knowledge that if someone’s mark was on you, there was love etched in with it. 

Mal and Jay tattooed each other when they were 14, hidden in what would become the Dragon’s Den in a few years' time, after a particularly bloody fight. Jay’s viper snaked around Mal’s right wrist, it’s head resting on the back of her hand. Some of the lines were shaky, but they were refined over the years as they found better equipment on the barge. Mal’s dragon mirrored the viper on his wrist, a spurt of fire reaching toward his thumb. They were each other's right hand, so where else would they mark their territory? 

Hidden under her long hair, Evie gave herself an undercut around her entire head. That’s where Carlos put his paw prints. Tracking from above the left ear around to the right. Evie felt like she might start crying. She knew her mom would kill her if she saw, but she didn’t care. Once the last paw was etched into her head and the machine changed hands, Carlos timidly pulled off his shirt. Evie delicately inked the crowned heart she always wore around her neck, large and central on his chest. The two giggled throughout the process. They felt giddy, like two little kids at a sleepover.

When they were 15, Jay gave Carlos his first tattoo in his room above Jafar’s shop. It was sparse and had a coarse rug in place of a bed, but it had a window with a ledge to climb out and some good places to hide things. No matter how many times Jay asked, Carlos wouldn’t back down. He was determined to have Jay’s viper curled up on the side of his neck. A couple hours of intense focus from an otherwise jumpy Jay was fueled entirely by a fear of hurting Carlos, who barely flinched for most of it. The head rose up the side of his neck, it’s body coiling down onto his shoulder, and Carlos stared into the mirror with pride. Carlos pricked a line of paw prints from the right side of Jay’s chest, around to the base of his neck, ending at the nape of his neck. Before Carlos had to sneak out the window to go deal with his mother, the two hugged as tightly as they could around the raw skin. 

Evie and Jay did theirs on the roof of some shop neither of them cared about. Jay’s back was still sore from his father’s whip the night before and he didn’t feel like going home. Evie was happy to give him a reason to stay away. She thought the sketch of her heart on his bicep looked pretty good. Jay flinched a little as he shifted to start working on her and Evie placed a gentle hand on his shoulder so he’d let her do the moving. She pulled her boots off and offered up her calf. Jay caught through his aches and inked a swirling viper onto her left leg. Once they finished, Evie pulled Jay’s head into her lap and ran her fingers through his hair until the sun started to set. 

When they were 16, Mal etched a set of dragon wings onto Carlos’ back with bloody knuckles from a fight she got into for him. His nose was bleeding but he was smiling so hard it didn’t matter. Mal wasn’t the best at showing she cared, so this moment was a release of affection after overa year of friendship. Carlos’ paw prints went from Mal’s shoulder blade to the nape of her neck. After the ink was set Carlos’ helped her wrap her hand in bandages and she smiled, small and genuine. 

Evie and Mal were the last to mark each other. Evie lay down on her back and let Mal create a dragon beneath her breasts, a wing spread on either side. It was beautiful, and as close to her heart as she could get. They switched positions and Mal’s rough hands on Evie’s skin were replaced by Evie's soft but strong grip on Mal’s. At the center of her chest, between her collarbones, Evie etched her crowned heart surrounded by a mirror. Central and close. Just right. 

They all found themselves touching them. Their own tattoos when they were upset and each other’s to assure them that they’re with them. Jay’s hand on Carlos’ neck as Mal wraps bandages around the burn on his arm. Evie leaning into Jay’s arm while he counts up his findings for the day, both of them knowing it’s not enough. Carlos placing a hand on the back of her shoulder after a fight with her mom that was nearly violent. Mal’s hand finding Evie’s ribs when she can’t tear her eyes away from the mirror in the back of the Dragon’s Den. 

To them, a choice, a mark of love and loyalty, is far more powerful than some Auradonian magic telling them who to love.

**Author's Note:**

> for clarification  
> Mal: jay's viper around her right wrist (14), carlos' paws from her left shoulder blade to the nape of her neck (16), evie's heart + mirror between her collarbones (16)  
> Jay: mal's dragon around his right wrist (14), carlos' paw over his heart (15), evie's heart on his left bicep (15)  
> Evie: jay's viper on her left calf (15), carlos' paws around her head (14), Mal's dragon under her boobs (16)  
> Carlos: Jay's viper on the right side of his neck (15), mal's wings on his back (16), evie's heart on his chest (14)
> 
> i have other ideas for this au so i might write them but no promises lol


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